A group of foxy footwear thieves is on the loose at a Saskatchewan campground. Officials at Great Blue Heron Provincial Park, northwest of Emma Lake, Sask., say five foxes have been sneaking into campsites and stealing shoes. “They seem to have good taste. They really like Birkenstocks,” park manager Sonnet McGuire told CTV News. The stealing spree came to the park’s attention in early July when campers began reporting missing shoes and finding abandoned footwear along trails and roads. “We started out with a pile of about 12 shoes that we were keeping in the office,” McGuire said. The collection grew so large that the park set up two bins for recovered footwear. McGuire estimates there are about 70 shoes in the bins. Cabin owner Linda MacDonald has become part of the unofficial shoe-recovery team. “I’m always keeping my eye open,” she said. MacDonald regularly finds footwear while walking the trails near her cabin at McIntosh Point. “I’ve picked up everything from a baby sandal to a boot,” she said, laughing. “They’re not discriminating.” MacDonald suspects there may be a den somewhere containing an impressive — and largely mismatched — collection. The shoes are generally found in good condition, leading McGuire to believe curiosity is fuelling the thefts. The foxes have turned the campground into a scavenger hunt, with people regularly checking the bins and using social media to arrange rides home for their recovered footwear. “There are people saying, ‘Hey, that’s my shoe! Is anyone coming to Saskatoon? Can you bring it?’” McGuire explained. “It’s connecting people in a different way.” The culprits remain at large.
